Fallen City

In today's go-go China, an old city completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake can be rebuilt — boasting new and improved civic amenities — in an astoundingly quick two years. But, as Fallen City reveals, the journey from the ruined old city of Beichuan to the new Beichuan nearby is long and heartbreaking for the survivors. Three families struggle with loss — most strikingly the loss of children and grandchildren — and feelings of loneliness, fear and dislocation that no amount of propaganda can disguise.

After an earthquake levels Beichuan, China, a modern replica rises with astounding speed, but while a city can be rebuilt quickly, reconstructing a community's heart and soul is a long, emotional journey for the survivors.